News / / 13.03.13

MY BLOODY VALENTINE

O2 Apollo, Manchester | March 10th 

My Bloody Valentine’s gigs are notorious for the ‘holocaust’ sections that end their performances – one chord that gets mutated beyond recognition, forming a nauseating wall of sound reaching ear-splitting volumes and lasting for some 15 minutes or more. 

But even without this setpiece, an MBV live show would still be a sonic assault. Whether it’s in the sheer energy of songs like You Never Should and the scuzzy Thorn, or by mangling what is probably their most euphoric piece of work To Here Knows When with a constant, high-pitched screech, the dominating factor throughout their set is noise – and lots of it.

It’s noise that reduces Bilinda Butcher’s vocals to a whisper comparative to the racket that surrounds her, and it’s noise that renders Shields all but inaudible. Given Shields’ renown for an almost fascistic control over sound quality, you’d assume that it was a deliberate decision to bury the vocals rather than a result of engineering incompetence.

And, of course, it’s noise that finishes the show. Following a rendition of Feed Me With Your Kiss that following three false starts, the band play You Made Me Realise and drop into the now-mandatory holocaust midway through. The muddy notes seem to be ever-changing without ever changing, whilst the ribcage-rattling sub bass refuses to relent during its quarter of an hour duration. But far from being an endurance test, the result is sheer ecstasy. It’s followed by a delivery of the jungle-dabbling Wonder 2 from their new album that sees all four band members pick up guitars and cause as much of an uproar over a backing track as they can. It’s a thrilling finish from a band whose roaring return to current consciousness has been as welcome as it was long-awaited.

 

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mybloodyvalentine.org

Words: Selim Bulut

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